Humidifier valve



. H. Val. MORGAN HUMIDIIFIER VALVE March 153, 1943.

Filed Oct. 13. 1939 2 Sheets-Sheet l Martzh 18, 1941.

H. W. MORGAN HUMIDIFIER VALVE Filed Oct. 13, 1939 2 Sheets-Sheet 2Jvwevx/uw/ HOWARD WMORGHN, w 9

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Patented Mar. 18, 1941 UNITED STATES ATENT OFFICE HUMIDIFIER VALVEApplication ocmbel- 13, 1939, Serial No. 299,294

4 Claims.

My invention relates to a humidity regulator and more particularly animproved humidifier valve which is especially adapted for use with theconventional heating systems to regulate the 5 amount of water or watervapor introduced into th atmosphere or evaporator means.

Generally mechanisms heretofore devised for humidifying the air ofrooms, homes, ofiices and factories provide for the addition of watervapor to the air by means of evaporating water or by allowing steam toescape into the atmosphere, but there is no provision, other thanmanual, for controlling the amount of vapor added. In order to providefor automatic control an intermediate control system has been utilizedcomprising electrically or compressed air operated mechanism. Further,use has been made of a motor and fan for atomiaing water to be rapidlyabsorbed by air in controlling the humidity oi the atmosphere.

, The cost of such automatic control mechanism is relatively high andthe installation and maintenance are very expensive. My inventionovercomes the above disadvantages and there is provided a simple, lowcost, direct acting, au-

tomatic humidifier device using steam as the humidification medium.

it is an object of this invention to provide a humidifier device, whichpreferably can be attached to the outlet or opening of a steam radiator,which is also provided for an air vent. In this instance, no pipe isrequired and the installation is accomplished by merely screwing out theair vent valve or plug ordinarily on the radiator, and screwing in thehumidifier control of my inventlon. My device may also be installed onany conventional pipe line by means of standard fittings having asuitable sized tapped outlet.

lit is another object of this invention to provide a novel humidifiervalve that can be readily attached to the conventional steam or hotvapor radiator in a heating system and which, when properly adjusted,will operate automatically to supply the required amount of moisture toa suit- 45 ableevaporator connected therewith.

Another object is to provide an improved valve for a humidifying devicewhich can be connected to a heat radiator system, utilizing steam, tointroduce into the atmosphere a 'sufiicient quantity of water vapor toinsure the desired atmospheric humidity.

Another object is to provide a humidifier regulating device which may beeasily and quickly attached to any conventional steam radiator andadjusted to control the flow of steam discharged therefrom forintroducing moisture into the atmosph'ere,

Another object is to provide a device of this character which, when theheating system is steam, vapor or hot water, may be arranged to utilizethe heating medium to supply the moisture for raising the humidity ofthe atmosphere or may, if desired, b supplied with a separate source ofmoisture supply and adapted to operate irrespeotive of the particularhind oi heating medium used in conjunction therewith.

Another object is to devise a humidifier attachment for steam radiatorshaving an improved valve for regulating the passage of steam therefromwhich automatically controls the discharge of steam and condensate intoan evaporator or other suitable dispensing means so that it willberapidly absorbed by the air to vary the moisture content thereof.

Another object is to devise an improved humidifying device forregulating the humidity of the atmosphere which will operate in asubstantially noiseless manner.

Another object is to provide an improved humidity regulator device forattaching to steam radiators, which is sturdy, highly effiloient inoperlatlonand can be manufactured at a low cost.

These and other objects and advantages will be readily apparent to thoseskilled in the art, as the description proceeds.

In the accompanying drawings, which illustrate the preferred embodimentof my invention:

Figure l is a vertical section taken through the preferred embodiment ofmy device;

Figure 2 is a. fragmentary detail sectional view taken on the line 2-2of Figure 1, looking in the direction of the arrows;

Figure 3 is a sectional View taken on the line 3--3 of Figure 1 withcertain parts broken away to show the construction of the hygroscopicelement;

:Figure l is an elevation view showing a radiator with my humidifyingvalve attached thereto and connected to a steam dispersing evaporatorunit; a

Figure 5 is a fragmentary detail sectional view talcen on the line 5-5of Figure 1, looking inthe direction of the arrows;

Figure 6 is a detail plan view of the means for setting the device takenon the line 6-6 of Figure 1, looking in the direction of the arrows.

Referring to the drawings in detail, in which like numerals indicatesimilar parts throughout, in Figures 1, 2 and 3, at In, there is shown avalve body forming the humidity regulator device of Mounted forreciprocation in the cylinder bore H is a piston or plunger l4comprising an elongated hollow upper portion l5 and a lower narrowdiameter depending tubular extension l6 which is adapted to slidably fitin the reduced cylinder portion |2. A central solid web section I!separates the two sections of the piston, and a conical shaped cap I8 isfitted to the upper end of the piston l4. This cap is adapted to providea suitable contact member for the piston actuating lever 20.

Attached to the opposite end of the valve cylinder I! is a tubularfitting 2| which may be threaded or otherwise secured to the cylinderIf] as at 22. The tubular fitting 2| comprises a passageway 23 whichcommunicates with the cylinder bore portion |2 beneath the piston I4 andis connected to a source of steam supply which causes the piston to belifted thereby when pressure is applied to the passageway 23, forinstance a steam radiator 25, as illustrated in Figure 4. The nipple 24is utilized for connecting these parts.

For shutting off the steam when the humidity regulator is not in use,there is provided a standard hand operated shut off valve member 26which is suitably fitted into the nipple portion 21, as shown in Figure2. Steam entering the cylinder chamber 28 of the cylinder bore II isdischarged through the opening 29 to which is connected the pipe 3!]which in turn is connected to a suitable steam dispensing or evaporatorunit, generally designated 32, as illustrated in Figure 4.

The piston and valve parts may be made of any suitable material;preferably, however, the piston is made of German silver hollowed out,as illustrated in Figure 1, so that it can be raised by low pressuresteam or wet vapor, yet will slide back freely by the force of gravityto normally close the valve when the heating system is turned oif or isunder vacuum. The particular construction of the valve, as shown inFigures 1 and 2, provides a sharp cut-off and maximum opening with arelatively small piston travel.

The normal position of the plunger or piston l4 closes the passageway |2when no steam pressure is present in the radiator, but when steampressure is on the radiator 25 the piston I4 is controlled in its openposition by the lever 20 which is actuated by the cooperating expansionand contraction member generally designated 35 the piston being forcedupwardly by the steam pressure against the lever 20. The member 35 issuitably attached near the upper end to the valve body IE! by means ofthe plate 36 which is tapped at 3'! to receive the threaded uppermostportion 38 of the valve body ID. The plate and valve body ID are securedtogether by means of the nut 39 which is threaded onto the end of thevalve portion 38, as shown in Figure 1. A lower bracket 40 suitablyfastens the member 2| and adjacent wall portion 4| of the member 35together as by means of the tap screws 42, so as to rigidly hold thevalve and actuating member together.

The expansion and contraction actuated member 35 comprises an elongatedmoisture-sensitive element 45 which is arranged to slide longitudinallyin the grooves 46 of the upright guide wall members 4|. Guide members 4|are preferably made of heat insulating material such as Bakelite or thelike fabricated structure which will not warp and has suflicient tensilestrength to support the associated parts. The grooved guide members 46are spaced apart and connected at their upper ends to the plate 36 bymeans of the set screws 41. The opposite ends of the guides are securedtogether by means of the plate 48 and attaching screws 49.

The member 45 comprises a hygroscopic element which may be made ofsuitable material which has the property of absorbing moisture from theair and expanding when the relative humidity of the air increases, andof giving up the moisture to the air and contracting when the relativehumidity of the surrounding air decreases. The expansion and contractionof the material are proportional to the amount of water absorbed orevaporated therefrom and this proportional change in length is utilizedin actuating the lever 26 to reciprocate the valve piston member 4.Preferably a wood strip is employed as the moisture-sensitive material45. This wood element utilized as member 45 comprises a strip havingcross grained structure 50. This is provided for by cutting the woodacross the grain from a large diameter log so as to get the maximumexpansion and contraction with changes in the humidity of the air orsurrounding atmosphere.

Other materials may be used in place of wood, such as hair, Cellophane,surgical gut, parchment, paper, silk, 1inen, cotton cord or rope andblock is cut in this way th maximum expansion is obtained as well as awood product which is substantially free of warping and splitting. Thewood block is ordinarily cut with its longest direction tangential to anannual growth ring at least eight inches from the center of a straightgrained clear log. The short dimension thickness of the block isparallel to the length of the fiber in the wood, that is, in a verticalplane of the tree and should be as small as is consistent with therequired strength and stability. A thickness of from to inch, dependingupon the size of the valve, may be utilized as the moisture-sensitivemember. The width of the member 45 can obviously be of any, suitabledimension, also depending upon the size of the valve.

The member 45 is provided with U-shaped reinforcing end plate members 52which are suitably secured thereto by means of the rivets 53. Attachedto the upper end of the member 45 centrally of the plate 52 is a pin 53which extends through the aperture 54 of the plate member 36 and isadapted to engage the end of the lever 20, at 55, as shown in Figure 1.The valve actuating lever 25 is suitably fulcrumed to the member 56, bymeans of the pin 51. Member 56 is attached to the plate 58 which in turnis secured to the plate 36 by the tap screws 59. A compression springmeans 60 is positioned on the lower portion of the pin 53 between themember 52 and the plate 36 so as to yield-ably force the member 45downward against the adjusting stop pin member 6|. The stop pin 6| isthreaded in the opening 62 of the plate member 48 and is provided on thelower end with a knurled wheel 64. By turning the wheel 64 thehygroscopic element 45 can be adjusted to effect operation of the valveat the desired relative humidity value. A suitable knife-like stop means65, as shown in Fig. l, is provided for cooperating with the knurledwheel teeth portion 66 to prevent the inadvertent turning of theadjusting wheel 64 after it is set in the desired position. Thedepending knife-like stop means 65 is suitably supported on the sidewall 4| by means of the plate 5? and screws 58.

The steam dispersing unit 32 preferably consists of a tubular screenmember 10 made of a rust-resisting material, such as copper or the like,and is connected to the outlet of the regulator valve through the pipe30. This dispersing unit or evaporator member 32 is positioned so as toextend between the coils of the radiator 25, as shown in Figure 4. Theend of the tube or pipe connection St is closed and is provided withholes along the side walls through which steam is allowed to escape intothe screen-like tubing. Around the interior of the screen Hi arearranged several thicknesses of cloth, such as cheesecloth or porouscotton cloth, which is adapted to absorb the condensate which is emittedfrom the pipe (it during operation of the device. It will be understoodthat other suitable means for col-- lecting the condensate from thehumidity regulating valve of my invention may be utilized, it being onlynecessary to provide a means for dispersin' and evaporating thecondensate emitted from the pipe 39 so that it does not drip onto thefloor or coverings therebeneath.

In the operation of my device it will be understood that as the humidityof the air increases the length of the strip d5 increases, moving thepin 53 upward against the end of the lever 20, which motion istransferred to the valve piston through the other end of the lever so asto move the piston id downward closing oif the passage of steam throughthe valve to the dispersing unit it. When the humidity of the atmospherearound the member 45 decreases, the length of the member 45 decreaseswhich retracts the pin 53 allowing the steam to raise the piston I4opening the regulator valve so as to permit steam to enter thedispersing unit 32 to thereby raise the humidity of the atmosphere. Thehumidity may be controlled by adjusting the screw 61 up or down byturning the knurled handle 64. By positioning the fulcrum 51 of thelever 20 closely adjacent to the point 55 of the contacting pin 53, themovement of the other end of the lever 25 is greatly magnified so that asmall movement of the pin 53 effects a considerable movement of theother end of the lever 2|] so as to move the piston of the valve asufiicient distance to shut off the steam.

It will be understood that my invention is not to be limited to theparticular construction illustrated and there is comprehended to bewithin my invention such modifications as are necessary to adapt it tovarying conditions and uses.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desireto secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A humidifying valve arranged to be connected to a vapor type heatingradiator, comprising in combination, a high pressure chamber, means forconnecting said chamber to said radiator, a low pressure chamber, meansconnecting said low pressure chamber to the atmosphere, a passagewayinterconnecting said chambers, a freely slidable gravity affected pistonvalve arranged for reciprocation in said passage, said valve having aposition in said passage controlled by gravity actuation thereof toclose said interconnecting passage when pressure is low in said highpressure chamber, said valve being capable of actuation in said passageto open the same upon pressure being applied to the high pressurechamber from the radiator, and means responsive to the changes inrelative humidity of the atmosphere in which said valve is positionedfor controlling the quantity of vapor discharged from said valve bycontrolling the open position of said piston valve with respect to saidinterconnecting passage.

2. A humidiiying valve arranged to be connected to a vapor type heatingradiator and comprising a body having an inlet chamber adapted to beconnected to said radiator and an outlet chamber in communication withthe atmosphere, a passage interconnecting said chambers, a gravityoperated piston valve arranged for reciprocation in said interconnectingpassage, said gravity operated valve closing the interconnecting passageby gravity operation when pressure is low in said inlet chamber andopening said passage when vapor pressure is admitted to the inletchamber, said valve being controlled in its open position by means of ahumidity responsive device whereby said valve controls the relativehumidity of the atmosphere within which said valve is located.

3. A humidiiying valve comprising in combination, an inlet and an outletchamber, means for connecting said inlet chamber to a vapor type heatingradiator and the outlet chamber to the atmosphere, a passagewayinterconnecting said chambers, a freely slidable valve arranged forreciprocation in said interconnecting passage, said valve being arrangedfor closing said interconnecting passage by gravity operation thereofwhen pressure is low in said inlet chamber and opening said passagewayupon admission of vapor pressure to the inlet chamber, a humidityresponsive device associated with said valve, said humidity responsivedevice being arranged to control the open position of said piston Valve,and means operatively interconnecting said humidity responsive devicewith said piston valve, said means operatively engaging said pistonvalve to close the same only when the relative humidity surrounding thehumidity responsive device raises above a predetermined relativehumidity.

4. A humidifying valve comprising in combination, an inlet and an outletchamber, means connecting said inlet chamber to a vapor type heatingradiator and the outlet chamber to the atmosphere, a passagewayinterconnecting said chambers, a freely slidable valve arranged forreciprocation in said interconnecting passage, said valve being arrangedfor closing said interconnecting passage by gravity operation thereofwhen pressure is low in said inlet chamber and opening said passagewayupon admission of vapor pressure to the inlet chamber, and a humidityresponsive device associated with said valve for regulating the degreeof opening of said valve upon variation in relative humidity of theatmosphere surrounding said humidity responsive device.

HOWARD W. MORGAN.

